New Life's Dream: Part II
by VenatrixArtemis
Summary: Sequel to my first one-shot: with a new name and renewed hope, Selina leaves Gotham and travels to Italy, where she hopes to finally meet Bruce. (Title may change) - Post TDKR
1. Chapter 1

**First, I would like to thank a lot those (few) who read and reviewed my first one-shot, it really means a lot to me!**

**Now, this is somewhat of a sequel, in which Selina leaves Gotham in search of Bruce; I really don't know what to do with this story, whether to stop it when Selina and Bruce meet, or to continue it... I got the inspiration this morning and wrote this first chapter all at once. There's not much of action in this, I feel I'm really bad at writing action scenes, but who knows... **

**Well, since I don't know where is this story going, I would really like to know what _you_ think about it :).**

**PS: if there are grammar mistakes etc, please let me know! ;)**

Chapter 1.

The first thing Selina noticed when she got off the plane was…the heat. And the sun. Bright, yellow hot sun that shined from the clear blue sky above her. The sultriness of that morning hit her, with its 85 degrees, while she dragged her small luggage towards the Pullman that would take her to the airport, always perfect in her high heels and in her black dress. And the heat seemed to increase as she entered the Pullman, along with other fifty people.

Two minutes later she was at the Roma Fiumicino airport's arrival. She stopped on the entrance and looked around. She felt lost. Now, she grew up in a city like Gotham, in its slums, and she learnt to survive alone, being a thief and all that sort of things, so she was used to difficulties and she liked challenges. And she had been in an airport, more than once actually. But that…place in front of her eyes wasn't a "challenge", god, it wasn't even an airport! That was…chaos. There were people everywhere; people sat waiting for friends and relatives, people with a very annoyed look waiting for their luggage to arrive on the conveyor belt, people sat at the bar, holding small coffee – cups and reading newspapers and then queue, queue, queue everywhere! _At least there's the air conditioner, _she thought with relief. She looked around again; everyone was relaxed, despite the chaos, and they were all wearing jeans and t-shirts. For the first time in her life she felt out-of-place. She was in a new country, in a very crowded place, she didn't know the language and…well, she was on a hunting. _Come on Selina, you're a big girl_, she thought, and decided to find the nearest info – point to ask information about how to reach Florence.

Once she was out of the airport, she was hit by the hot sun and the unforgiving heat. "Seriously, 85 degrees on April…" she muttered. She called a cab, and after a while it arrived. "Dove la porto, signorina?" _Oh, great_...she didn't speak Italian at all. "Ehm…I'm sorry but I can't…" – "Where to, miss?" he asked in English, smiling politely at her. "Roma Termini" – "All right". She entered the cab, while he helped her putting her luggage in the back of the car. "So, where are you from?" he asked while they were inside the car. Selina decided that a little talk over the ride couldn't harm anyone: "I'm American" – "Uh, nice. And it's the first time you come in Italy?" – "Well actually yes" she smiled back. "It's really a beautiful country. Of course, we have our problems, but who doesn't?" A thick roman accent affected the man's pronunciation, but he gesticulated a lot while talking, so Selina didn't have problems in understanding him. Actually she found it curious. She paid little attention to what he was saying though, concentrated on the landscape outside the car. They arrived at the station and she exited the cab, paying the man a generous sum: "Keep the rest and thank you" – "Thank you too. Have a nice trip, miss".

At the railway station she took a ticket for a high – speed train, la _freccia rossa_, and in about half an hour she was in Firenze Campo Marte station. Now the only matter was to decide what exactly to do. She needed to find him. She needed desperately to find him, not only because he could have probably helped her here with the language and showed her around (she wanted to visit Florence badly!) but also because she needed to _see_ him, to have the final confirmation that he was _alive_, that he was there, _with her_. Outside the station she called another cab to reach the city's downtown. The driver told her that her address was in Florence's centro storico, but he couldn't drop her right there because cars weren't allowed in that part of the town.

So now Selina was walking down the _viale_, trying to find the right place, the piece of paper one a hand and dragging around her small luggage that seemed to weigh a lot. Despite the long hours spent on planes and in trains and cabs, she looked flawless as always, her hair collected in an elegant chignon, the face concealed by the big dark sunglasses and by her hat, the black dress that hugged her athletic body and her high heels that now were killing her feet. The only problem was… the heat, again. The weather was beautiful here in Florence, blue sky, bright yellow sun but: _What the hell is with this temperature? In Gotham it was snowing up until two weeks ago! _She sighed, but proceeded down the _viale. _Finally she managed to find the address and found herself in front of the entrance of a luxurious hotel, hosted in a Renaissance – style palace. She took a deep breath to calm her beating heart and entered. The hotel was luxurious indeed. It was decorated with marble floor and antiques furniture and it was really outstanding.

She neared to the reception: "Good morning" - "Good morning miss. How can I help you?" – "I have… a reservation, I guess" and placed the piece of paper on the desk. The receptionist read it and then flashed Selina a bright smile: "Oh, you must be Mr. Thomson guest, I suppose. He told us that you would arrive" – "Mr. Thomson… well…I guess so" Selina was really confused, but not entirely surprised. It was Bruce who set up all this after all. Of course, he would have informed them about her arrive. The receptionist looked something into her register then said: "Miss Catherine Lowell right?" – "Yes, that's me" – "Very well. Andrea here will walk you to your room" and she pointed to a young and good-looking man who appeared suddenly behind the reception.

Selina smiled at him and thanked the receptionist. She then let the young man to carry her luggage for her: "Your room is the 304, third floor on the left; you can use this elevator." When they reached the room's door, he explained everything on the facilities, handed her the keys and her luggage and left. The inside of the room was more luxurious than the hall, if possible. And it was big, very big. And it was meant for _two_ people. _Mh, cute. _Selina placed on a desk her hat, sunglasses and her purse, then kicked off her shoes and collapsed on the king sized bed, exhausted by the long trip. _My God! Had I known how exhausting this trip was…_ but she was happy after all. Well, she hadn't found Bruce yet, but she suspected that she would hear from him soon. But now she needed to relax a bit._ Lets' see how is that bathtub, shall we? _She thought, rising from the bed.

The bathtub was a Jacuzzi and had every comfort needed. Selina remained in there for nearly half an hour, humming slightly the refrain of a song and enjoying the bath after so much fatigue. As she exited the bath, she wrapped herself in a towel, letting her long wet hair falling on her shoulders – despite the air conditioning, it was hot – and began to undo her suitcase, placing it on the bed. She was just opening it, when she noticed something that she didn't notice before: on one pillow there was an envelope. Selina stopped right there and stared at it.

_Talking about hearing from him soon, _she thought. She took the envelope, her hands shaking a bit. She sat on the bed and started reading. As if there was much to read. The paper – because inside the envelope Selina found just a small piece of paper – was written with Bruce's calligraphy and, much to her disappointment, it was short. It contained just another address, a cafè this time. Nothing else. _You're playing with me, aren't you? _ A smirk was forming on her lips. Well, she could play too.

**So, what do you think? **


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2.

_My, he surely can pick a hotel. _After her much-needed bath, Selina was now exploring her suit. It was luxurious, well decorated and with every kind of comfort: a king – sized bed, a big bathtub, tv, wi – fi…everything. Actually it was more like a real (and expensive) apartment, except that there wasn't a kitchen. She opened the door window and went on the terrace. The hot sun hit her again, but it was bearable thanks to a gentle breeze that stroked her hair. Her gaze wandered amazed: from her place she could see the entire _centro storico_ and it was breathtaking. She recognized the Arno River, the Ponte Vecchio, Palazzo Vecchio and the massive Santa Maria Del Fiore Cathedral, with its enormous Cupola di Brunelleschi. On the background the mountains framed the entire city.

She returned inside, put on her shoes, picked up her purse and the sunglasses and left the hotel, the paper with the second address in a hand. It took her near half an hour to find the right cafè; the old town's streets were so crowded with tourists that she had many difficulties to walk without obstacles. And the high temperature wasn't helping. The cafè was close to Ponte Vecchio, overlooking the Arno River. Selina looked around her. Bruce could have been everywhere. And he was damn good at hiding when he wanted. She decided to sit at a table, so that she could watch everyone that was there. Besides, it was so hot, that a glass of water was what she needed. Despite the long trip, she wasn't hungry and now didn't fell so much tired. She was excited. Finally she had a new name, was away from Gotham. She felt free for the first time after so long.

She was enjoying that moment of relax, watching the tourist wandering down the streets, sipping her glass of cold water, when a waiters approached her, with a drink on his tray: "Miss? " – "Yes?" – "This is for you from the man sat on that table" He was pointing to a small table not so distant from her, but stopped talking abruptly. Selina looked in that direction but the table was now empty. "Oh, I swear, he was there just a moment ago" the waiter said confused. Selina thanked the waiter and smirked. _So that's how it feels like_. She looked at the drink on her table. _Mh... Let's make him wait a bit, _she thought, taking her time to drink_._ After some minutes her eyes caught something. A tall man, with brown hair, a pair of sunglasses was taking some pictures of Ponte Vecchio. He was wearing a light blue polo, jeans and sneakers. She recognized him immediately. _I_ _got you, handsome. _She rose from the table, and quickly approached the man, who was some feet away.

She was reaching him, when suddenly someone bumped into her, interrupting her... run. "Oddio, mi scusi signorina. Tutto bene?" said the man, who seemed so mortified. "It's ok" she said simply, not really understanding what he said. Not that she cared in that moment. She turned and continued walking, arriving where she spotted the Bruce. Except that Bruce wasn't there anymore. Selina stopped and looked around. _Of course, that was too easy._ _This seems the game of cat and mouse_. Well _she_ was the Cat, she was supposed to play with the mouse, not the other way round. She directed her gaze to the bridge, where she caught a glimpse of his light – blue polo. He was in the middle of the bridge, taking some photos of the shops that were there. _You're enjoying this, aren't you? _She followed him.

Ponte Vecchio wasn't a normal bridge. It had shops built along it, as was once common. In the past there were butchers, but now it hosted jewelries, art's and souvenir's shops. And it was crowded with tourists. Now she was in the middle of the bridge, where there were three arches that allowed a panoramic on the River and the rest of the city. And of course Bruce was nowhere to be seen.

She was admiring the landscape, when a baritone voice from behind startled her: "Enjoyng the view?" She froze and her heart skipped a beat. No, it jumped in her throat. Suddenly she found herself with no words. Many times, when she was on the plane or on the train she imagined what she would have said to him. She imagined telling him that she missed him. No, better, she imagined slapping him right in the face for what he put her through; then she would have kissed him. Maybe. Now he was there, behind her and she couldn't even move, turn around to see him. She was… a bit afraid. She didn't want him to read in her eyes how weak she had felt, the agony of those days. She was afraid that he wasn't really there; for a moment she feared that if she turned to look at him, he would have vanished. _Don't be silly, Selina_! She thought angry to herself. Some tears were forming at the corner of her eyes. _Luckily I have sunglasses. _She turned, slowly.

He _was_ there. Light – blue polo, jeans, a camera, and that smirk on his lips. He wasn't wearing the sunglasses, which now were hanging on his polo's collar. His green, deep eyes were looking directly at her. He seemed more relaxed since the last time she saw him.

In a second her last memory flashed through her mind. "You_ could have gone anywhere, but you came back" – "So did you" – "Well then I guess we're both suckers". Yes Selina you're a sucker _now._ Say something, don't just stare at him._

"You know, _I_ was supposed to find you" she said finally. _Sucker. Really, that's the best you can say? _She mentally kicked herself. Where was her confidence? His smirk grew, and he closed the distance between them. He didn't say anything; he lifted the hands and… took away her sunglasses from her face. Despite the high temperature Selina shivered. Now she was totally exposed to his gaze.

"To me it seemed that you had some difficulties". She rolled her eyes but smiled: "I had everything under control". He raised an eyebrow, but stayed in silence. "So, there was an autopilot after all"; she really didn't want to talk about what happened, but… she couldn't find anything else to say. There were too many things left unsaid between them, but both weren't likely to express them by words. His smirk turned into a small smile. A shadow passed over his eyes and for a moment Selina could see how much that memory hurt him. She mentally kicked herself again and regretted her words.

But Bruce didn't seem to mind so much; after a moment his smirk was back and asked: "I trust the hotel was to your liking" – "Well, I must say, a girl can get used to it, though the room seemed a bit empty" – "Oh, I think I can fix that" – "And how would you do that?" – "You'll see" he offered her his arm: "How about a late lunch and then I show you the city, Miss Lowell?" – "Why not, Mr. Thomson" she answered, accepting his arm.

They lunched at a small restaurant that served some typical meals of the place and Selina thought she never tasted something so good. _A girl can definitely get used to this_. During that afternoon they spent together she studied him. He looked good, relaxed. At a first glance he seemed just a good-looking tourist who was enjoying his holiday. But she could see that he was recovering. He was careful in his movements, his eyes were usually scanning the people around them, an old habit she guessed, and then they focused on her. In those moments Selina read in them his tiredness, his buried pain. But they were different from the eyes of that man she met in his Manor, when she stole his pearls. Back then, those eyes were hopeless; he was a complete broken man, with no wish to live. Now he had hope again, a hope that coexisted with his pain. _I can say that he's at peace with himself now. Finally._

He showed them most of the significant places in Florence's old town, guiding her through crowds of tourists, ancient buildings and art pieces. He even taught some words in Italian, saying that she had to learn the language sooner or later. They kept their conversation easy, she was still tired after the long trip of that morning, but both knew that sooner or later they would have to talk. They would have to talk about their plans for the future, what did they want, about _them, _their relationship. _That will come later. For now let's enjoy this moment of freedom._

She saw him looking at the sky with a concerned look: "I guess we better hurry" – "How so?" – "Look" he pointed at the sky. A storm was approaching. It would rain soon. She nodded, and then an idea came up. A grin was forming on her lips and he noticed: "What?" – "Come on, the last sleeps on the couch" she started to run. It was childish, she knew, but she didn't care. "Not if I catch you first" she heard him saying as he started to run after her. "Oh, you won't catch me, handsome" – "Don't be so sure" he said with a genuine smile as the first drops of rain began to fall.

* * *

**So, any thoughts? **


	3. Chapter 3

_It's too hot here! _Selina was wide awake in her bed, tossing and turning since two hours ago, the sheets reduced to a pile of crumpled fabric. The window was open, a light hot breeze swayed the curtains; the moonlight peered in the room and Selina was gazing at the luminescent globe with her wide chocolate eyes for the fifth time that night. Tired, she went to the window. Beneath it there was the garden, then the small pinewood and in the distance she could see the lights of the city illuminating the sky.

They rented the villa some days ago, it was outside Florence, on the hills that surrounded the city, from where they could admire the view of such a beautiful city. She suspected Bruce wanted to buy the house sooner or later. Maybe he would have done it in the near future; maybe he was waiting for the right moment, for… what exactly? They left the hotel the morning after that storm (the last time it rained; now the entire zone was prey of the grip of high temperatures, so unusual for the period). They didn't make any plan for where to go, what to do; not that Selina would complain so much, she was used to live by the day, but now she wanted things to be different.

She knew Bruce didn't want to leave Florence soon. He seemed to be expecting something important, an event… she saw how he still scanned the crowds, the people around them when they were seated in a café, analyzing every face, every movement. Nothing escaped him.

_Old habits die hard._ She smiled by herself. She liked to stay in Florence after all. Maybe they could find another house, more distant from the city, maybe on the hills or in the countryside… Actually she didn't care so much for their house position. This new life was far beyond what she would have dreamed just two years ago and the company… well, she never thought she could be settling like this.

Maybe it was because of the insomnia or the excessive heat, maybe both, but now Selina was trying to understand why she took that flight for Italy. After using the Clean Slate she could have gone anywhere, be anyone. Instead she chose to follow Bruce, to be with him. Why? For how long?

_Bruce_. She couldn't call him with his new name. When they were together they were just Selina and Bruce. No more Kyle, no more Wayne. What did she want to do? She liked the idea of travelling, maybe visiting Venice or Paris, why not? But what did _he_ want to do? Would he follow her? Would she remain by his side?

_Damn man! How come you affect me so much? _She turned to the bed where he was sleeping, his breath light, a relaxed expression drawn on his handsome face, the shadow of a smile on his lips… he was so _calm. _

Before meeting him, Selina would have never lingered on those kinds of things. If she would have wanted to go somewhere, having the possibility, she would have done it without a second thought, without thinking about anyone but herself. She was selfish before, she had to be. Now, what was she now? Could she still be Selina Kyle, the Cat, without being the burglar? Or was she becoming someone else, was she becoming Catherine Lowell, a simple woman, mate of a much older man, whose aspiration was to settling down for a happily ever after? No, she wasn't such woman, not completely. A part of her really wanted to settle down with him, she wanted him to be part of her plans for the future. They still haven't talked about this, maybe she would bring up the argument tomorrow…

"If you stare at me in that way you'll make me blush" his deep baritone voice, now just a whisper, startled her. He opened his eyes and looked at her, a trace of worry in his features.

"Did I wake you?" – "No, Selina, not at all" – "Good" she smiled.

"Trouble at sleeping?" he asked, giving voice to his worries. She just shrug her shoulders, she didn't want to worry him.

He was sat now and was looking intensely at her, trying to capture all her details. In that moment he thought he had never seen a woman more beautiful than her, with her silky brown hair that fell on a shoulder, her chocolate eyes wide open, her smooth smile… "Sei bellissima" he whispered. "What?" her eyes grew even wider, as did her smile. She didn't know the words, but she understood their meaning by the way Bruce was looking at her. "Come here" he patted the bed beside him. She reached him and he wrapped a strong arm around her shoulders, while she put her head on his shoulder, a hand on his chest. His beats were regular, calm, so in contrast to hers, that didn't seem to slow down.

"What troubles you Selina?" he said after some time, when they were lying down again.

"Do you think about it sometimes?" she murmured. "About what?" She took a deep breath to calm herself: "About us. What will we do" – "What do you want to do?"

She gulped, her throat suddenly hoarse, as was her voice: "No one ever asked me that" – "But I'm asking you now" he said, placing a kiss on the top of her head.

"Selina…" he breathed in, struggling to find the right words to say. He had never been good with words. "Whatever you will want to do I hope…I hope there will be a place for… an old man". His words were whispered with a trace of fear in them.

She raised her head to look at him, her eyes opened in surprise: "An old man?"

A very much cat – like grin was forming on her lips: "Oh I don't think an old man can keep up with me" She positioned herself on the top of him, her long legs around his hips, her hands running on his chest, on his still trained abdominal, "But…" she leaned down to seal a quick kiss, "there's place for a very handsome guy"; she stole another kiss.

"That guy must be very..lucky then" Another kiss, this time Bruce's. "Mh, you think?" she asked. He reversed the situation, placing himself on the top of her. "_Very _lucky" he said with his deep voice. Selina shivered. Bruce's eyes were dark; his breath hot as he placed a series of kisses oh her jaw, her neck, her breast… "He's a jealous type, you know" she whispered, her voice hoarse. He smiled against her skin while kissing her: "Pity for him. Tonight you're mine" – "I won't complain, I guess. I'm adaptable," she said before Bruce covered her mouth for a long passionate kiss. That night Selina never thought about her worries again.

* * *

When Selina woke up the next day, Bruce wasn't in bed anymore. She rubbed her eyes and looked around the room. Bruce wasn't there. She got up, put on her silk nightgown and went to the bathroom to take a shower. She was extremely tired after the night before, but happy. She felt reassured about her future with Bruce. _But where is that man now? _He was nowhere in sight, not in their bedroom, not in the kitchen, not in the living room… nowhere.

She found him ten minutes later in their bedroom again, his back to her, staring at something in his hands. She got closer, but not enough to see what he had in his hands. He didn't turn, tough he knew she was there.

"Bruce, where have you been?" – "I was searching something" he said thoughtfully. "What?"

He turned to her smiling. "Come here, I want you to have something". She did and Bruce placed himself behind her, tying something at her neck. He then made her face the mirror. "What do you think?" he whispered in her ear, his hands on her hips.

"They're…" she took a deep breath to calm herself "they're your mother's pearls" – "Yes" – "And you want me to wear them" – "No" – "No?" – "I want you to _have _them"

She remained in silence for some moments, letting his words sinking in. "To have them" she whispered under her breath. She then turned to him, her eyes wide, almost watering. "Bruce..." – "Do you accept them?" he asked. He was nervous, she could see it. But he was also determined. She smiled "Yes. Yes, I'm…I'm honored to have them" – "Good" he said and he kissed her.

* * *

Selina yawned for the third time that morning. They were seated at the table of a café on the Arno River and Selina was fighting hard to keep her eyes open.

"Tell me again why you are so tired?" Bruce asked her smirking. "You're making fun of me" – "I would never" – "Oh shut up. I'm not that tired" – "No?"

She glared at him: " I wouldn't be that tired if someone hadn't kept me awake for the whole night"

His smirk only grew at her statement: "You said that an old man couldn't keep up with you, so I had to make for a…what was that, a 'very handsome guy'. I don't know you, but for me it was totally worth it." He was full in his playboy persona. "Oh shut up" she hissed, though a smile was playing on her lips.

The waiter arrived with their orders, a cup of black coffee for both, and placed them on the table.

After some time they had already finished their coffee and Selina noticed that Bruce was silent. He was scanning the other people sat around them. Suddenly his gaze settled on something behind her back. She pretended to admire her surrounding, at the same time stealing a glance at Bruce. She saw him nodding to someone. She partially turned her head, curious.

At the corner of her eyes she saw an old man sitting alone at a table, a newspaper in hands and a drink in front of him. He was looking at them, at Bruce.

Her heart skipped a beat.

_Alfred._ It was him, of course, the loyal butler of the Wayne family. He was here in Florence… but, why? Had Bruce contacted him? How…

"When I was gone from Gotham more than ten years ago, Alfred used to take a holiday"

Selina turned her head to fully look at Bruce. He had never talked about his past to her.

"He came here, in this very place, every year during the seven years I was gone. Every evening, he'd sit there and order a Fernet Branca. He had this fantasy that he would look across the tables and see me there, with a wife and maybe a couple of kids. He wouldn't say anything to me, nor me to him. But we'd both know that I'd made it, that I was happy. He never wanted me to come back to Gotham."

She was now playing absently with the pearls on her neck. When Bruce gave them to her, she knew that they had a very special meaning to him and he wouldn't have given them to anyone if that anyone wasn't someone special. She remembered how strongly he wanted them back when she first stole them. He didn't make such an effort into getting back his Lamborghini.

And now he was telling her of Alfred's fantasy about him, about wives and kids and happiness…

She turned quickly around to where Alfred was sitting, only to find the man gone, the place empty. Bruce was looking at her now. She felt uneasy under his intense gaze.

"And are you happy now?" she asked hesitant. She knew the answer for she could see it in his eyes, but there was always something deceiving about them, as if he still wanted to conceal his emotions. Was it a habit, was it a form of defense, she didn't know, that's why she wanted to hear the answer from him.

"I am, Selina". She smiled but said nothing. She saw something else in his eyes, beside his half concealed happiness. Hope, love. These emotions were clear.

In that moment Selina suddenly knew the answers for all the questions that kept her awake the night before. She knew why she took that flight. She even knew why she remained in Gotham after she opened that tunnel.

If she wanted to be happy, she had to be with him. Seeing him happy now, finally made her realize that she didn't live just for herself anymore. Suddenly she took his hand, smiling: "Then, I'm happy too, Bruce. I'm happy too". Bruce kept quiet, but strengthened his hold, pulled Selina to him and kissed her.

* * *

**Mh, I guess this is the end of this story, for now; it took me so long to figure out how to write this chapter and how to end the story... I fear I have overdone it a bit (and this chapter is long, I know).**  
**This is the end but as I said...for now! I love this couple too much to let them rest completely. But the big problem is that I don't have many ideas, sooo...any suggestion is gladly accepted! (read between the lines: leave a review, even a small one, it makes me the happiest person on the planet) :D**

**A big big big 'thank you' goes to everyone who reviewed, favorite and followed this story, it really meant A LOT to me, thank you again!**  
**V.A.**


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